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- Jackie Delane Aker (born July 13, 1940 in Tulare, California) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. Aker was used exclusively in relief. He appeared in 495 games, none as a starter, and was one of the American League's best closers of his era. He is of Potawatomi Indian ancestry. http://www. baseball-almanac. com/legendary/american_indian_baseball_players. shtml He was originally signed as an outfielder by the Kansas City Athletics and led the Nebraska State League in stolen bases in his first year, 1959, before being converted to pitching before the 1960 season. He made it to the majors as a side-arming sinkerballer, pitching for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1964–1968), Seattle Pilots (1969), New York Yankees (1969–1972), Chicago Cubs (1972–1973), Atlanta Braves (1974), and New York Mets (1974). During an 11-year baseball career, Aker compiled 47 wins, 404 strikeouts, a 3.28 earned run average, and 123 saves, an impressive total at the time. On September 10, 1965, Aker pitched 6.1 innings of relief, allowing just one run, to earn the W in a 10-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles His best season came in 1966 with the A's, when he led the American League in saves (32, a major league record until 1970) and games finished (57), had a 1.99 ERA, finished 13th in the MVP voting, and was named AL Fireman of the Year by The Sporting News. On September 7, 1966, Aker earned save #30 for the season with 3.2 innings of shutout relief vs. the California Angels. On April 29, 1967, he pitched the last 8.1 innings of a 15-inning loss to the Boston Red Sox, striking out a career-high 8 and allowing just two runs. On April 24, 1968, Aker in just the eighth baseball game ever played at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, pitched the last 5 innings, allowing no runs and earning the W, in an 11-inning win over the New York Yankees After a series of run-ins with A's owner Charles O. Finley, Aker, the team's union player representative, was made available in the expansion draft for the 1969 season, and was picked up by the Seattle Pilots. As one of their original players, on April 8, 1969, he earned a save in the first game in franchise history, a 4-3 win over the California Angels. After his playing days ended, Aker managed in the minor leagues from 1975–1985, winning the Governor's Cup with the 1982 Tidewater Tides, and was the Cleveland Indians pitching coach from late 1985 to 1987. He left pro baseball after the 1988 season to teach children, and for 20 years offered camps, clinics, and baseball instruction through his "Jack Aker Baseball" academy. In 1997, he was honored by President Clinton with a "Giant Steps Award" for coaching for his work teaching at-risk Native American children on reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. As of 2008. Aker was living in Arizona with his wife, former sportswriter Jane Charnin-Aker. In 2001, Charnin-Aker won $250,000 on the network version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire. " Their son, Joshua Charnin-Aker, appeared on "Jeopardy!" Kids Week in 2002, competed in the 2008 U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials, has qualified for the 2012 Trials, and was an All-American swimmer for Stanford University. Another son, Matthew Aker, is the head baseball coach at Greensboro College in North Carolina. Their youngest son, Adam Charnin-Aker, plays baseball for perennial powerhouse Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, AZ.
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